How do you analyse other players?

Nvn00 · Nov 30, 2013

I'm interested to know how you analyse other players and how it affects your decion when calling, raising or folding.

On what do you focus?

Im talking here about poker without using HUD.

Thanks!

Edit: online poker

Jacki Burkhart · Nov 30, 2013

I do not use a HUD

I start with the 2 players to my left and the 1 player to my right, as these are the players I'm most likely to get into hands with. I am looking for things like:

How often do they play a hand (loose or tight)
Are the normally raising or re-raising? or are they normally checking, calling or folding? (aggressive or passive).
What is their standard preflop raise size and does it ever change?
How do they react to a 3 bet?
Do they play more hands in position?
How do they play post flop? Do they Cbet? Do they "fit or fold" on the flop?

Once I've got a pretty good idea of how the players nearest me are playing, I pay attention to who are the most active players at the table, since they are the other players I'm most likely to play hands with.

Finally, I start paying attention to the remaining players and usually more interested in those to my left.

LongJohn45 · Nov 30, 2013

there are many different players out there. For the most part, you want to over-estimate a players strength. Dont assume a player is weak or will make the same mistake twice.

A beer in the hand is worth two in the fridge.

kmichaels · Dec 1, 2013

Normally i focus on little but important thing like bet size pattern; range of hands they play; the time they take to play. Any player to have success have to pay attention to those things.
Like Doyle Brunson once a time said: " Pay attention and it will pay you".

Basic of poker, truly.

sleepymike · Dec 1, 2013

Also if 2 players tend to be battling each other, this tends to lead to abnormal betting from these players.

Blobweird123 · Dec 1, 2013

missjacki said:
I do not use a HUD

I start with the 2 players to my left and the 1 player to my right, as these are the players I'm most likely to get into hands with. I am looking for things like:

How often do they play a hand (loose or tight)
Are the normally raising or re-raising? or are they normally checking, calling or folding? (aggressive or passive).
What is their standard preflop raise size and does it ever change?
How do they react to a 3 bet?
Do they play more hands in position?
How do they play post flop? Do they Cbet? Do they "fit or fold" on the flop?

Once I've got a pretty good idea of how the players nearest me are playing, I pay attention to who are the most active players at the table, since they are the other players I'm most likely to play hands with.

Finally, I start paying attention to the remaining players and usually more interested in those to my left.

We will be in hands with players on our left and right evenly enough. Think about it, we are BTN or CO, we are getting in tons of hands vs the blinds (to our left) and also vs MP/CO (to our right). As long as we have position. So we need to analyse everyone.

redcross · Dec 1, 2013

Everyone has their own style but here is my plan going into tourneys. At the start I will only play premium hands until I see the style of those playing around me. I usually will play 2-3 out of the first 40-50 hands. This usually puts me behind but the entire time I become accustomed to styles and tendencies of those playing around me. By this time blinds are worth more and I know where I can steal a blind from, and when to get out. Not going to lie this is not the funniest way to begin a tourney, but it's always more fun then getting bounced early.

Jacki Burkhart · Dec 1, 2013

Blobweird123 said:
We will be in hands with players on our left and right evenly enough. Think about it, we are BTN or CO, we are getting in tons of hands vs the blinds (to our left) and also vs MP/CO (to our right). As long as we have position. So we need to analyse everyone.

Yes of course we need to analyze everyone. I am just prioritizing because when you sit down at a new table you can't just download the player tendencies, it trickles in...by focusing first in the players I'm most likely to play in pots with, the info I gain is put to use more quickly.

I focus more on players to my left because they'll have position on me and it's rough playing out of position so any extra info helps.

But yes, by the time you've been at the table 30-60 mins you should know all the players

Frankie6636 · Dec 1, 2013

Its really hard to do online. I only do it in person. When in person I look for tells such as smiling, playing with hair and also nervousness.

JamaicanKid · Dec 6, 2013

use the note option ... watch the hand replay...obverse how often a player plays and wat kinna hands they do play....no u the aggressors are the table....play the hand and not the player

cotta777 · Dec 6, 2013

As jacki mentioned in above post spot on ^

Things I look for would be reasons they call a flop and reasons they re-raise a flop - bluff nuts or draw.

great example here : I had pocket jacks in a live tournament this week just before the break and I was short stacked one caller to my raise
the flop came 9-9-10

I bet the flop and he re-raised me, I knew there was no way he was bluffing because he had only re-raised the flop once all night previously, and his calling range fits his position.
I folded jacks and he showed 9-7s
I went on to win the tournament many players would of pushed all in

jj20002 · Dec 6, 2013

this is useful if you are playing one table

missjacki said:
I do not use a HUD

I start with the 2 players to my left and the 1 player to my right, as these are the players I'm most likely to get into hands with. I am looking for things like:

How often do they play a hand (loose or tight)
Are the normally raising or re-raising? or are they normally checking, calling or folding? (aggressive or passive).
What is their standard preflop raise size and does it ever change?
How do they react to a 3 bet?
Do they play more hands in position?
How do they play post flop? Do they Cbet? Do they "fit or fold" on the flop?

Once I've got a pretty good idea of how the players nearest me are playing, I pay attention to who are the most active players at the table, since they are the other players I'm most likely to play hands with.

Finally, I start paying attention to the remaining players and usually more interested in those to my left.

all this reasoning you post here is useful when playing for long with the same players in the same table, so it could be a final table in a slow tournament

but if you are playing a mtt it won´t help to much since you will be changing tables every 10-20 hands, so you don´t have a lot hands to see or analize other players

Jacki Burkhart · Dec 6, 2013

jj20002 said:
all this reasoning you post here is useful when playing for long with the same players in the same table, so it could be a final table in a slow tournament

but if you are playing a mtt it won´t help to much since you will be changing tables every 10-20 hands, so you don´t have a lot hands to see or analize other players

yeah, it is definitely more useful the longer you play with the same players. I think it will be that way anytime you're bothering to study your opponents.

What do you suggest instead?

baudib1 · Dec 6, 2013

-- how many hands they play
-- how often they raise
-- if they limp, do they limp-call or limp-fold?
-- postflop tendencies: do they like to donk, c/c or c/r when continuing past the flop?
-- make note of any time they show down a hand that you didn't have in their range
-- hands they show down in 3-bet pots are particularly interesting, or if they show up with AK or AA in a limped pot
-- how do they play draws
-- any kind of transparent betsizing tells
-- timing tells if unusual
-- country of origin, screen name, avatars

vinylspiros · Dec 6, 2013

baudib1 said:
-- how many hands they play
-- how often they raise
-- if they limp, do they limp-call or limp-fold?
-- postflop tendencies: do they like to donk, c/c or c/r when continuing past the flop?
-- make note of any time they show down a hand that you didn't have in their range
-- hands they show down in 3-bet pots are particularly interesting, or if they show up with AK or AA in a limped pot
-- how do they play draws
-- any kind of transparent betsizing tells
-- timing tells if unusual
-- country of origin, screen name, avatars

^^^^case closed.

howleruz · Dec 7, 2013

In multi table tournaments - you don't need to analyze anyone until you reach from say 10,000 players to a 100.

Reason - the tables are closed and players are re-arranged. Some people, especially in the freeroll tournaments, will go all-in and hope for the pure luck. If 3-4 people answer, the table is closed and all your analysis is gone for nothing.

So, as many tutorials teach you - keep it calm, target yourself to survive the bubble.

When you are back to short amount of players - you can start analyzing what they do.

- how much they raize
- in what position
- if showdown occurs - how often they bluff, semi-bluff
- do they raize/fold, or do they call sometimes

MaStErGyn · Dec 7, 2013

Concordo!!!

fa1920 · Dec 7, 2013

If you're new to the table, what you have to do first of all is to observe the opponents at the table and fixed his way to play if lanterns semi-lanterns and other things are sent, if you are aggressive or conservative, or simplementes fish after you've studied it and to play with advantage, otherwise in playtime is imperative is the position if you have good cards to play them to death position, but expected to flop.

Poker Orifice · Dec 7, 2013

I always make notes if they're sending me lanterns (or anyother unusual things sent to me).

Jacki Burkhart · Dec 8, 2013

am i supposed to know what lanterns are? is this a language barrier issue?

blakewyte · Dec 8, 2013

If in a tourney, I usually only start paying attention to the players when maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of the field's been eliminated (provided I last that long

).

- looking out for the players who are playing a lot of hands
- the big stack, just watching when they play (in position or oop)
- bet sizes, range

P.S what are lanterns?

fletchdad · Dec 8, 2013

Didnt Paul Revere play poker?

jj20002 · Dec 8, 2013

missjacki said:
yeah, it is definitely more useful the longer you play with the same players. I think it will be that way anytime you're bothering to study your opponents.

What do you suggest instead?

you have to start taking notes about players you consider frequent the same mtt´s, for instance, you can separate them in different categories using colors

another way is to use a software like hu2 to track you opponents and to have a better understanding of their play

a use both

Henry Minute · Dec 9, 2013

missjacki said:
am i supposed to know what lanterns are? is this a language barrier issue?

Maybe Poker Orifice means lanterns = signals. Just a guess.

Poker Orifice · Dec 10, 2013

Henry Minute said:
Maybe Poker Orifice means lanterns = signals. Just a guess.

No. I meant 'lanterns' & 'semi-lanterns'.

How do you analyse other players?

Nvn00

Rising Star

Jacki Burkhart

long winded rambler...

LongJohn45

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kmichaels

Rock Star

sleepymike

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Blobweird123

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redcross

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Jacki Burkhart

long winded rambler...

Frankie6636

Enthusiast

JamaicanKid

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cotta777

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jj20002

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Jacki Burkhart

long winded rambler...

baudib1

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vinylspiros

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howleruz

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MaStErGyn

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fa1920

Visionary

Poker Orifice

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Jacki Burkhart

long winded rambler...

blakewyte

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fletchdad

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jj20002

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Henry Minute

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Poker Orifice

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